


A Leap of Faith (Part Two)

by RowanCousland1995



Series: RWBY Rarepair Week 2017 [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: AU, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Emerald Sustrai, Bisexual Yang Xiao Long, Everybody Lives, F/F, Implied Arkos, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Rarepair, Treasure Dragon, rwbyrarepairweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 14:51:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12111111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowanCousland1995/pseuds/RowanCousland1995
Summary: Day 4 of RWBY Rarepair WeekEmerald confronts the woman responsible for the destruction of Beacon, and must deal with the consequences of her actions. Nothing could have prepared her for the aftermath.





	A Leap of Faith (Part Two)

**Author's Note:**

> And this is my exciting conclusion to "A Leap of Faith"! I hope you all enjoy!

RWBY Rarepair Week  
September 13 - 19

Pairing: Yang Xao Long/Emerald Sustrai: Treasure Dragon

Day 4 Theme: Hurt & Comfort

Emerald stared up at the tower in awe, her throat closing over as she thought on what was to come next.

She and Yang had cut through their fair share of Grimm to get here, only to find that Weiss and Ruby had beaten them to the punch.

The moment Ruby caught sight of her sister, she practically bolted to her and tackled her with a squeezing death trap of a hug.

"I was so worried about you!" Ruby squeaked. "With all this craziness, I thought that...."

"Hey, hey, no need to get all sad faced on me, Ruby. I'm fine." Yang said, patting her sister's back. "How's Penny?"

"She's being evacuated with the other students. Blake is keeping an eye on her until we get back. But there's a bigger problem," Ruby pointed up to the tower.

"Pyrrha is up there. Jaune called us, and she went up there all by herself."

Emerald's eyes widened, and her grip on her gun tightened.

"We've got to get up there." She said bluntly.

"Agreed." Weiss chimed in. "That's why Ruby and I came up with a plan. I can use my glyphs to help Ruby climb the tower. With her speed, she can take you two up with her, and we can show this Cinder why she messed with the wrong school."

"Nice!" Yang complimented. "I love it when a plan comes together."

"We better do it quick," Emerald added. "Pyrrha won't be able to hold her own up there for much longer."

When the group was in agreement, Ruby, Emerald, and Yang all joined hands.

"Hang on tight." Ruby warned. "You might get a little dizzy. Or even a case of whiplash. I've never really done this before."

"You'll be fine, as long as we have our landing strategy." Yang chuckled.

Ruby rolled her eyes at that before firmly planting her feet.

Before their very eyes, Weiss produced a trail of glyphs up the side of the tower. Before anyone could respond, Ruby took off running.

It was like a hurricane's worth of wind had punched Emerald in the face. The force almost made her slip from Ruby's grasp, but they all managed to hold onto eachother.

And then, they made it to the roof.

The sight horrified all three of them.

Pyrrha, collapsed to her knees in front of Cinder, and Cinder herself, nocking back an arrow intended for Pyrrha's heart.

She could've done it any other way, and it would've given her the same result. But she was so cocky, so arrogant, so cruel, that she had decided to shoot her victim at point blank.

It was a split second decision that had ultimately saved the life of Pyrrha Nikos.

Emerald let the chain that held her sickles to her revolves unfurl, and with a flick of her wrist, the chain and blade wrapped around Cinder's bent elbow.

With a sharp pull, Cinder stumbled back. The arrow went flying above Pyrrha's head, and Cinder landed on her back with a shout.

The next couple of steps required some quick thinking. Using her speed, Ruby bolted to Pyrrha's side. She helped her to her feet, providing support when Pyrrha stumbled.

Emerald could tell that her ankle had been injured. Cinder was always the one for exploiting weaknesses.

As Cinder finally pulled herself to her feet again, Ruby took a hold of Pyrrha and bolted back down the tower side. As she ran Emerald could hear a faint "I'll be back," shouted to them.

Cinder regained her composure, her gaze falling on Emerald.

It took her a second to put the pieces together, but she realized what had happened.

"Emerald..." She sighed, shaking her head. "I should've known."

Before Emerald could even think of retaliating Yang practically rushed past her, fully prepared to clock Cinder in the face.

With a quick snap down the middle of her bow, Cinder produced the two blades that made up her ranged weapon. She countered every blow that Yang swung at her, swiping away punches as if they were nothing.

And they were. Emerald knew that. With the power that Cinder now had, their attacks would be nothing but flea bites in comparison.

But they had to try. At the very least, they had to try and tire Cinder out.

Emerald retracted her sickles, letting the chains snap back into her revolvers, and quickly began firing off rounds at her former partner.

Some of the bullets hit, but they weren't enough to even put a dent in Cinder's Aura. Her golden eyes narrowed as she stared down her two opponents.

She swiped at Yang with the flat of her blade, the force sending Yang sliding across the roof top. Her other blade sliced the air between herself and Emerald, sending a burst of flame in the thief's direction.

Emerald managed to roll out of the way of the oncoming blast, taking a knee and continuing to fire off her bullets.

And then, she heard the telltale click of her chambers emptying.

"Reloading!" She called out to Yang as she bolted behind a wall of rubble for cover.

Yang nodded, and began her assault again. She managed to close the distance between herself and Cinder in a couple of strides, landing a quick uppercut to Cinder's jaw.

Cinder went tumbling back, the punch leaving her dazed for a moment. But she regained her footing, spitting out a small amount of blood that welled up in her mouth.

Now she was angry.

She dropped her blades to her side, letting the dust that created them dissipate. She willed the dust back into her clothing, and used it to enhance the fire that now rose from her palms. With a flick of her wrist, a bolt of flame shot out towards Yang.

Yang took on a guard stance, letting her Aura take the most of the fire as she crossed her arms in front of her face. When she brought her arms down again, the fire went bolting back at Cinder.

This caught Cinder by surprise, but she managed to move out of the way in time.

And then, much to Yang's surprise, Cinder came barreling down on her.

Her lithe hand latched around Yang's throat, lifting her up into the air effortlessly. Yang kicked and struggled against her hold, but that only seemed to make the grip tighter.

Cinder smirked at her before throwing her off to the side, letting the blonde smack into a nearby wall.

Emerald watched it all happen in horror.

"Yang!" She screamed out, watching as the woman she loved lifelessly slumped to the ground. No... She couldn't be dead. There was no way.

"Was this what you wanted, Emerald?" Cinder called out to her. "Did you really think you could double cross me?"

Emerald grit her teeth, slinking back behind the rubble and pressing her back against it to remain hidden.

"Did you think I didn't realize that something was going on?" Cinder asked, the sound of her glass heels on the stone floor echoing throughout the air. "All those nights you snuck away without a word; all those days you returned looking so much happier? It didn't take long for me to realize something was amiss."

Emerald carefully strafed around the rubble that surrounded them, trying to find a way to get the drop on Cinder. She had to stop her, and she had to get Yang out of here.

She peeked around the corner, watching as Cinder strolled over to Yang.

"When I realized what was going on, I decided to let it all happen. I figured sooner or later she'd realize who you were, and that she would break your heart on her own. I thought sooner or later, you'd come crawling back to us and put all of this nonsense behind you. But now, I see that I made a mistake. So, allow me to correct it."

She brought up her hands, manifesting her bow once again and creating an arrow as she brought back the bowstring.

"You've got a choice to make, Emerald." Cinder taunted her.

Emerald didn't hesitate. She immediately bolted from her hiding spot, cutting off Cinder and shoving herself in front of the bow.

"Stop!" Emerald snapped, her voice cracking. She wasn't sure if it was from fear or what. But she wasn't going to let Cinder kill Yang.

Cinder smirked, lowering her bow slightly.

"I'll do whatever you want. Just leave her be."

"I know you will." Cinder replied. "Now, drop your weapons."

Emerald complied, letting her guns fall to the floor with a clatter. Cinder was clearly pleased by this.

"On your knees."

She nodded, sinking to the floor in one swift movement and letting her gaze fall to the floor.

Cinder approached her, lifting her head to meet her gaze. Emerald wanted more than anything to look away from the burning stare of those golden eyes, but she didn't dare.

"You've hurt me, Emerald. I hope you know that."

Emerald nodded, keeping silent as Cinder continued.

"After all I've done for you, you still found the stupidity in you to betray me. And for what? Something you knew I would take away? Something as fleeting and childish as love? After I took you from the streets and gave you a home? After I made it so you never had to go hungry again?"

These were all rhetorics. Emerald knew she wasn't looking for answers. She was looking for guilt that she would eventually use to gain obedience out of Emerald.

"You know as well as I do that you will need to suffer for what you've done, Emerald. I can't let this go on without punishment." Cinder's gaze flicked towards the unconscious Yang.

Finally, Emerald broke her silence.

"Cinder, please," She croaked, tears rolling down her face. "Please, leave her alone. I'll do anything, I swear! I'll come back. I'll carry out orders. Anything!"

Without a word, Cinder smacked Emerald across the face. The force sent Emerald to the ground, and she felt her face suddenly burning with pain.

Cinder smirked in satisfaction as burns formed across Emerald's cheek. Let that be a permanent reminder to never cross her again.

She then turned her attention to Yang, and then watched in shock as the shimmering veil of a mirage fell away.

Yang Xiao Long stood there, fully awake and cracking her knuckles as a look of rage overtook her face.

Her eyes were a burning red, like that of coal in a fire.

She didn't say a word as she slammed her fist into Cinder, sending her flying.

She let the rage overtake her as she bolted towards Cinder, landing punches left and right. She let out a scream that practically tore itself from her throat as she landed the punch that slammed Cinder into the wall.

Finally, Cinder couldn't take the damage anymore.

A roar overtook the sky, and a dragon suddenly burst into view. It perched itself on one of the walls of rubble, letting a jet of flame burst from it's mouth.

Yang quickly moved out of the way, grabbing a hold of Emerald and dragging her back to her feet.

"Let's get out of here before we become dragon food." Yang said.

And then, something amazing happened.

Out of the corner of her eye, Emerald saw Ruby suddenly bolt back up from the wall of the tower. The moment Ruby caught sight of the dragon, and the two of them, some sort of energy radiated off of her.

A bright, silver light emenated from her eyes. Before the dragon could attack, it took in the sight of the girl. Almost instantly, the dragon went rigid. It was almost as if it had turned to stone from her gaze.

Cinder was in awe of it all. Awe, and anger. But before she could even think about raising her bow to the young Ruby Rose, the energy washed over her. She went flying back, and a white light suddenly engulfed the tower.

Emerald couldn't recall what happened next. She remembered Yang clinging to her. She remembered catching a glimpse of a group of adults walking towards her and the others.

When she opened her eyes again, she was laying on a cot and was covered in thick blankets.

She sat up, feeling groggy as she tried to get her bearings. She looked around to see more cots set up, filled with an assortment of people. Nurses and doctors were bustling around, trying to tend to those that needed them.

Emerald rose from the cot, stumbling out of the large room and into a hallway. She kept going until she was brought to some sort of front desk area.

And it was there she saw everyone.

Yang, Weiss, Blake, Penny, and all of the members of Team JNPR stood in that room, all in different states. Jaune was nursing a cup of coffee with Pyrrha's head resting on his shoulder. Nora was practically sprawled across Ren as she slept, snoring loudly.

Penny had the biggest smile on her face as she spoke to Blake and Yang, and Weiss was pacing across the floor, fidgeting with the hems of her sleeves.

Suddenly, Penny caught sight of Emerald, and quickly moved past Blake and Yang.

"Salutations, Emerald Sustrai!" She greeted her, extending her hand. "We were getting worried about you!"

Emerald shook it, her gaze shifting back to Yang. Without warning, Yang shoved past Penny and almost took Emerald down with the hug she gave her.

It was one of those hugs where one put their entire body into it, wrapping both arms and legs around the receiver, hoping they never let go.

Yang was practically shaking as she clung to Emerald, burying her face into the girl's shoulder.

"Please tell me you're real..." Yang whispered. "You're not a mirage, right?"

Emerald almost wanted to chuckle at that, but she refrained. Instead, she patted Yang's back and nodded.

"Yep. I'm real." She replied. She noticed Yang relaxing in response, unwrapping her legs from Emerald's waist and setting herself back on the ground.

"Thank goodness." Yang replied.

"What about you?" Emerald asked. "You're not a mirage, right?"

"Well I certainly hope not!" Yang laughed, pulling away from the hug and wiping her eyes.

Emerald managed a small chuckle in return. "So, where exactly are we?"

"The rec center in Vale." Blake replied. "It's the safe zone they've set up until they can clear out the Grimm. They've been taking care of everyone that got injured."

"Is Ruby ok?" Emerald asked.

"They carried her in with you," Penny chimed in. "She hasn't woken up yet."

"My Uncle said that we'll have to take her home if she doesn't wake up soon." Yang added. "She's doing ok, though.... Whatever she did, it took a lot out of her."

Emerald's mind suddenly went back to the top of the tower. When the memories came back to her, her hand drifted to her face.

Her fingertips grazed across a bandage on her cheek, and she winced. She remembered now. The burns Cinder had left behind.

Yang caught sight of this, and gently took a hold of her hand.

She didn't say a word. Emerald was grateful for that, but it didn't change anything. She had hoped, after all of this, that she could just forget Cinder. But now she was left with a permanent reminder of her.

"Hey... They have a coffee station set up in the pool hall." Yang offered. "Let's go get some."

Emerald had been prepared to protest, but Yang simply pulled her forward and took off towards the hall.

The pool tables had been converted into a snack bar, for lack of a better term. Chips, cookies, fruits, and other assortments of food were sprawled across the tables. Rows of coffee pots were set up, brewing away for those that needed them.

But Yang marched right past them.

Instead, she found a small storage room, and she pulled Emerald inside.

Without saying a word, she embraced Emerald again, running her hand comfortingly down the thief's back.

"Ok... Let it out." Yang whispered into her hair. "It's ok. No one's watching."

Emerald was taken by surprise... But in the end, she had done just as Yang told her.

She let go. She let everything out as she became a bawling mess in the blonde's arms.

"I'm sorry..." She said through clenched teeth. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. She hurt you, and it was all my fault."

"Hey, hey, hey," Yang said soothingly, gently taking a hold of Emerald's shoulders. "None of that now. It's not your fault. It was all Cinder. It didn't have anything to do with you."

"But I-."

"Look, don't let her make you think like that." Yang cut her off. "I could've gotten hurt plenty of other ways. Besides, you ended up saving me. So I call that a win in my books."

"But it was because-."

"I know that I'm not going to change your mind," Yang sighed. "But all that matters right now is that we're alive. You and me, and everybody else. We're all here right now because of you."

Yang's fingers gently rested on Emerald's cheeks, tracing along the outline of the bandage. Gingerly, she pressed a kiss to it, making Emerald blush.

"Besides, you've got a new badass scar to show off." Yang chuckled. "And look at the story behind it. 'Pretty thief girl stands up to her evil ex-partner. Walks away with only a scar to tell the story!' I could see someone writing a novel about it."

"You forgot the part where the pretty thief's girlfriend beats the evil ex into a pulp." Emerald added.

"Nah, that's only my side of the story. I'll sell that as a book by itself. We'll be millionaires!" Yang laughed.

"Yeah, well there was something else you forgot." Emerald pointed out.

Yang looked at her, almost as if questioning what she meant.

Emerald wrapped her arms around Yang's neck, pulling her into a kiss. Yang couldn't help but smile before returning the kiss, pulling the thief into her arms.

It made a good ending to that story. But Yang knew it wasn't anywhere near the end for them. There was still a lot of work that needed to be done.

But for now, she was content knowing that she had Emerald in her arms.

And they were ready to take on whatever else Remnant threw their way.


End file.
